Ricochet Destiny
by spiritgununicorn
Summary: Sora needs a ticket out of his bored life before he is engaged to his best friend. In the middle of a banquet for the engagement, a little animal catches his eye and he decides to follow it. Had he decided to stay in place like a good little boy, he would have never had the adventure of a lifetime.


Title: Ricochet Destiny  
Rating: T so far…  
Pairing: Sora/Riku/Kairi (Incorporating OT3)  
Disclaimer: I only own the fic, not the characters. I was inspired by Lewis Caroll but this has begun to take a turn for something else.  
Summary: Sora needs a ticket out of his bored life before he is engaged to his best friend. In the middle of a banquet for the engagement, a little animal catches his eye and he decides to follow it. Had he decided to stay in place like a good little boy, he would have never had the adventure of a lifetime.  
Notes: Experimental first chapter here. Will continue if I get a good response for the first chapter. I'm still a little unsure of this fic because I'm not used to OT3s.

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Un: Down The Rabbit Hole…

Sora had never been more desperate to escape from his life than he was at that moment. He was half sitting half lying in an uncomfortable ornate chair, crafted from only the finest of craftsman with details that held significance only to those of the Haruto family. Even the crest which was the kanji of their household name surrounded by an aquamarine border, with flecks of gold in order to signify the "spring" of their name was impeccably detailed and stood out against the pure whiteness of the chair. Not to mention the fact that it was at the head of the seat, and was hidden behind an unruly amount of brown hair which stuck out from all sides and would not come down no matter how many products were put within it.

Clearly, Sora's hair was opposing the whole idea of where he was and what he was doing just as the rest of him, and so he covered the family crest at the top of his chair in vengeance. He also opened his legs at either side of the chair and continued to slide down so far that his bottom was pretty much hanging in the air after a few minutes. He could hear a small giggle come from his right and he lazily turned his head and leaned it against the chair's arm to look up at the girl sitting next to him. She too wanted to sit in an undignified manner, but she had to project the image of ladylike elegance even though she felt that she was far from it.

"You're having fun huh, Sora?" Another giggle escaped her person as she tried to convey to him with her eyes that she was more than ready to escape from this place.

Opening his mouth in order to explain that an engagement party for the two of them prompted by their nonsensical parents and their long standing friendship, was something that he really and truly hated with every fiber of his being and wanted nothing more than to shove a couple of hot pokers in his eyes due to his absolute boredom; Sora found that he couldn't say all of that in front of all of their guests and shut his mouth. He swallowed thickly before licking his lips and smiling at Kairi in the sweetest manner he could and then said, "Sure."

He pushed himself up in his chair after he wiggled his bum in the air for a few seconds because he had finally moved off of the chair, and was just another second with making contact with the hard and dirty ground beneath his feet. Of course their families would think it so cute, refined, dignified, and chic to have an engagement party outside of the Nerida family manor within Radiant Gardens. Sora could barely contain his excitement when his family told him about it as they planned every single moment with Kairi's parents, and both teenagers were forced to pretend that they were ecstatic about the occasion. On the contrary, once both Sora and Kairi were left to be with one another, they drew up brilliant escape plans that rivaled that of a mysterious pirate of legend and made a promise that if they could leave together and run away then all would be well.

Unfortunately, none of their plans were any more than a fleeting fantasy designed by them and could not be transferred into their daily lives. Sora and Kairi were incredibly sour once they tried to make an escape and were hindered at every single turn. And now, here they were sitting beside each other at their engagement party when neither of them wanted to marry each other in the first place. They loved each other as much as they possibly could, that was certain but their love was not of a romantic variety. It was the kind of relationship that blurred between that of siblings and close friends; as if they were of blood but not entirely by blood and they loved each other so much that they would die for each other if they could.

However, it was still not as romantic as their families expected it to be.

An arranged marriage is what Sora and Kairi were bonded together in forevermore, and if they did not find a way to escape it then this would be their fate. The wedding was going to take place in a few weeks time, after the other engagement parties that were planned, coincidentally enough around the same time just to show off whose children were much more pompous and worthy of betrothals. The one they were currently attending, with all of the guests looking ever so hopeful and trading glances to the couple while gossiping about the families and their necessities for the rushed betrothal was the first party. There was only a moderate amount of entertainment in order to amuse the guests and encourage them to attend the next festivities, but both Sora and Kairi were bored to tears and each of them were looking around for any sign of escape.

Sora scanned the area; his hands clenched tightly around the armrests of his chair, and tried to look past the tablecloth and foodstuffs in front of them. Sora realized that seeing as both he and Kairi were in such a foul mood now, neither of them had any desire to eat the delicious foods presented and it was such a shame. There were every single one of their favorites displayed beautifully, asking for both of the teenagers to have a taste of them. Even though they were tantalizing, Sora's stomach lurched in revulsion when he thought of eating, and he knew that he had to get both he and Kairi out of here lest he lose the will to eat completely. And that would not be like Sora at all.

Blue eyes that matched the color of his name widened as a small smile tugged at his lips, and Sora practically jumped out of his seat. He turned to Kairi, quite happy that he had found something to hold them both over for the next few minutes at least and hoped that what he saw was not betraying him. "Come with me," he whispered to her as he completely got up from his seat and pulled out her chair. Kairi wasted no time in following her friend, taking his slightly larger hand in her petite one, she hurried by his side and the two of them broke into a fast paced walk.

"Sora?" She questioned as they began to run past several of their guests who tried to stop them in their haste, but the boy paid no heed to them. He didn't want to stop moving until he caught up with the object of his interest. He was sure that once they met up with it, or at least came closer to it that Kairi would be delighted.

Now more of the guests were beginning to whisper about their impropriety and how dare they leave a party meant for them, done by the kindness of their families hearts' and completely ignore the partygoers. Surely, their families had raised them better than that, and while the rumors suddenly grew the teenagers vanished down the path of that particular garden and into another part of the manor entirely; both Sora's and Kairi's parents had grown red in the face. Those two had better come back sooner rather than later, or else everything will have been for naught, and they did not spend enough of their money into holding this soiree for both children to behave like they had never attended such an engagement in their lives.

Kairi could tell that Sora was excited by something, and whatever it was surely she would approve of it. However, all this running in her heeled shoes were making her feet ache, and she wished that she could have dressed in a less feminine manner. It wasn't as if she disliked wearing these kinds of items, but there were certain places where she had to draw the line. For one, she pretty much abhorred incredibly high-heeled shoes. The ones she was currently wearing weren't all that high, only three or four inches, but still hurt her as she and Sora began to sprint. Not to mention, she was wearing a long pink dress that had to be held with the other hand that was unoccupied by Sora's. She loved the dress with all of her heart, and the cut was definitely styled to fit her body, but she was wishing in that moment for a pair of pants and sneakers so she could run easier throughout the manor.

She gasped as she and Sora made a quick turn out of the garden, away from all of the eyes of their guests and families, and into another part of the manor that for a lack of a better description was a wild forest growing at the edge of the estate. Kairi was always warned not to wander into this part of the manor, and she always wanted to take the risk but could not do so on her own. Both she and Sora were the epitome of "good" children—ones who would not dare speak out of turn, would not dare to think about questioning their parental guardians' authority, nor would they dare to just waltz out of a party being held by the most generous benefactors in all of Radiant Garden. There was just something different about today, and Kairi wondered what it was that she and Sora were now chasing; the one distraction that was suddenly changing both of them for good.

Another quick turn and Kairi collided onto Sora's side, clinging to him for dear life so she would not twist her ankle due to the lessened grip in her shoes. Sora didn't mind it one bit, as his eyes were focused on the prey before him, and she could see by the bright look on his face that he was enjoying the chase. They didn't dawdle at all, Sora holding Kairi tighter to him so that she wouldn't fall or anything—taking any and all precautions that she would be safe with him as they continued on their way. Kairi tried to incline her head and look ahead at whatever they were chasing and all she could make out was a quick flash of a ripe pink, like new flesh of certain babies and a colored wing she hadn't seen in years. Could it be a moogle? But what was such a creature doing so far out here? They hadn't resided in Radiant Garden in years since they decided to scatter to other territories.

With renewed vigor and a newfound interest, Kairi had lessened her hold on Sora and nodded to him as he managed to spare an inquisitive glance at her. She managed to keep up the pace as they started into a full run this time, wanting to catch up to the mysterious, winged animal. It flew sharply and much more quickly than either of them had expected, and as they continued to run through various twists and turns, both Kairi and Sora were beginning to grow tired. They weren't used to all of this activity, mostly because they weren't allowed to run rampant through their halls and abject playtime was something of the past when they were considered as children. They were meant to be somewhat of adults now, and they hated it. They still wanted to be children and have fun like this.

Further and further they drew inward to the forest. Snarled trees and wild bushes were at their sides and crushing beneath their feet, along with the crisp sounds of twigs snapping due to their force and the rocks skating across the ground as if they meant to kick them. Kairi realized that the sky was changing from a shade of blue that rivaled her eye color and Sora's combined, and transforming into a tinge of coral. As if small droplets of blood were seeping into the sky and coming out to tell a tale. Kairi breathed harshly through her nostrils until the moment that she and Sora abruptly stopped mid-run. She was caught off guard and smacked into his back, but the brunette hadn't moved an inch except for pressing his hand behind himself and onto her arm.

"Sora?" Kairi called out again, no more than a soft whisper so as not to startle their prey for she could tell that it also stopped. Her friend said nothing, standing as still as a statue and so she moved to the left and came out from behind him.

Indeed what they were chasing after was a moogle, a relatively young one who was turning this way and that. Its back was faced toward Sora and Kairi, and he looked positively lost. His purple wings twitched as if trying to gauge where the wind should take him, and he pressed a hand onto his chin in thought. He continued to look between the directions of east and west, questioning as to where he should turn but there seemed to be no wind in order to indicate anything for him. His pom pom bounced as he looked between the directions and Kairi couldn't help but think that he was so cute. She wanted to coo at him, sweep him up into her arms, and just hug him with all of her might.

Kairi was the first to move, which got the moogle's attention. Her foot crunched a twig which reverberated throughout the entire forest. She smiled sheepishly as she shrugged her shoulders slightly and looked over at Sora. The boy shook his head without looking at her, but keeping his vision on the scared moogle. It had whipped around to look at the source of the noise and found the two humans looking at him in mixed states of wonder. He had never seen them before, but he had served his purpose quite well in fact. With a shake of his rump, the moogle flapped his wings and took flight to the left.

Instantaneously, both Sora and Kairi took after him, trying to match the moogle's pace so that they could keep him in his sights. They almost managed to lose him due to the foliage they had to get through, and not to mention the insects that were whizzing about the air and suddenly giving chase to the humans. They wanted to partake in the game of cat and mouse as well, thoroughly thrilled that those unlike them were able to hold their own in such a spectacular sport of play. Both Kairi and Sora flailed their arms wildly, trying to hold off the insects that flew into their general direction and were trying to distract them from the moogle flying through the air in such a brilliant and fluid motion.

Neither of the humans cared how fast they were going whether they were holding onto their skirts (Kairi) or leaping into the air in order to gain momentum (Sora). They continued their brisk running pace, the landscape seemingly endless until the moogle had taken one more sharp turn and brought them both out into a broad clearing. The trees and wind stood still in this place; the insects stopped at the sidelines before turning back with unease and unhappiness at not being able to foist off the humans that were gallivanting in what they believed was their land. The moogle stopped its flight, but kept itself at a high altitude away from Sora and Kairi's hands so that they would not touch his dear pom pom.

Despite Sora's enthusiastic attempts to capture the moogle, the spell it had cast on him in order to chase it broke off the second that they veered off into the clearing. It was dark now, but there was a genuine light emanating from the clearing itself, and that in turn made his skin crawl. It was a calm light, like that of a fireplace lit in a homely place but still it was not something that should have occurred in a path somewhere in a forest linking to the Nerida Manor.

"Kai…" he motioned over to said girl, who had wrapped her arms around herself. The air was a little colder than it had been several minutes ago, and she leaned into him for warmth and a comfort that only Sora could give her. They redirected their attention away from the moogle to take a gander at the space before them. There was a miniature shrine in the middle of the clearing, just below the moogle. He paid no attention to the humans, but merely gestured to the shrine and remarked with its signature "Kupo!" that all moogle's do. Sora approached it slowly, albeit hesitantly as Kairi held onto his arm and shook her head. Something did not feel right about this and as much as she tried to convey that to the boy, he would take no heed of it. "Just think of this as an adventure, Kai. Don't you wanna know what this is?"

She opened her mouth to remark that _no_, she didn't want to know and that perhaps they should finally get back to the party. Their parents would be furious by now for their insurgence and she was convinced that they would both be in so much trouble. Kairi liked a good joke and perhaps a little mysterious adventure as much as the next person, but this was clearly drawing the line. Not to mention that this moogle seemed to know that they were following him and clearly, he did not give a damn about that. What if he had led them to the clearing for their demise or something of the sort? Kairi was a little more down to earth than the boy she was holding onto whose head was always in the clouds.

Scowling at Sora because he wasn't taking her tugs seriously, she believed that if they continued on this would bring dire consequences. However, even though she adamantly refused to find out what was going on with the shrine, the clearing, and the moogle, a small part of her wanted to know everything—the adventurous side of her personality wanted to be curious and take in the newfound knowledge. She scowled even more, feeling as if she were betraying herself even just a little bit.

And still, Sora cautiously approached the shrine until he was standing right in front of it. The moogle said nothing other than a whispered "kupo" and tilted his head, to which Sora imagined that was a code for go ahead. He leaned forward, taking in the sight of the white marble that was carved with what appeared to be some kind of unintelligible gibberish and small depictions of a heart. At least, it was the artistic version of a heart rather than that which was living and beating inside of a real person and looked disgusting in its essence. Sora was fascinated, and with his unoccupied hand—to which the other was being held in a grip of death by Kairi behind him—he touched the marking of the heart.

The reaction had taken both teenagers by surprise that not even a small whimper or gasp of surprise could overtake them. Light outpoured from the heart carving, and the shrine glowed along with it. The gibberish formed into words in the air, spiraling out of the shrine and mingling with the light which suddenly pointed into the night sky. A wind picked up from nowhere, and neither Sora nor Kairi were able to hold their ground against it. They held onto each other, hoping that they would be alright and in her mind Kairi was calling her friend all kinds of nonsensical curse words and if only he had listened to her—

She couldn't finish the thought because they were upturned into the air, pulled through the chamber of light that was cast into the night air, and vanished out of the world of Radiant Garden. Was it going to be forever? No one could be sure for certain. However, the human teenagers who were engaged to be married were thrown into another world. They fell through it in fact, landing on a soft heap of grass in front of a sign to which they would awaken in front of in an hour or so. The moogle would have been long gone, but happy that he had fulfilled his task. He would be able to return on home, and he knew that the game would begin.


End file.
